ALBANY  New York has raised the state's maximum college tuition grant for the coming academic year to $5,165.

The $165 increase is the first in 14 years. Nearly 400,000 state residents received Tuition Assistance Program, or TAP, awards last year.

They can be used for higher education at public or independent colleges or universities in New York.

Meanwhile, state officials say students who qualify as an orphan, foster child or ward of the court for federal student aid programs will now be considered dependent students in determining TAP awards, making them eligible for the maximum. For some that's expected to mean an additional $2,140 per year.

In the 2012-2013 academic year, more than 372,000 New Yorkers got $931 million in TAP funds for tuition, averaging $3,049 per student.